93
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Psychedelic Experiences Increase Mind Perception but do not Change Atheist-Believer Status: A Prospective Longitudinal Study

, MD, , BA, , BA, BS, , PhD, , AA, , PhD, , PhD & , PhD show all
Received 06 Oct 2023, Accepted 22 Mar 2024, Published online: 07 May 2024

References

  • Barrett, F. S., M. W. Johnson, and R. R. Griffiths. 2015. Validation of the revised mystical experience questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin. Journal of Psychopharmacology 29 (11):1182–90. doi:10.1177/0269881115609019.
  • Bloom, P. 2007. Religion is natural. Developmental Science 10 (1):147–51. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00577.x.
  • Davis, A. K., J. M. Clifton, E. G. Weaver, E. S. Hurwitz, M. W. Johnson, and R. R. Griffiths. 2020. Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects. Journal of Psychopharmacology 34 (9):1008–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881120916143.
  • Gray, H. M., K. Gray, and D. M. Wegner. 2007. Dimensions of mind perception. Science 315 (5812):619–619. doi:10.1126/science.1134475.
  • Gray, K., A. C. Jenkins, A. S. Heberlein, and D. M. Wegner. 2011. Distortions of mind perception in psychopathology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (2):477–79. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015493108.
  • Griffiths, R. R., E. S. Hurwitz, A. K. Davis, M. W. Johnson, and R. Jesse. 2019. Survey of subjective “god encounter experiences”: Comparisons among naturally occurring experiences and those occasioned by the classic psychedelics psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or DMT. Public Library of Science ONE 14 (4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214377
  • Griffiths, R. R., M. W. Johnson, W. A. Richards, U. McCann, and R. Jesse. 2011. Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: Immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology 218 (4):649–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2358-5.
  • Hartogsohn, I. 2020. American trip: Set, setting, and the psychedelic experience in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  • Jacobs, E. 2020. What if a pill can change your politics or religious beliefs. Accessed June 28, 2021. Last Modified October 11. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-if-a-pill-can-change-your-politics-or-religious-beliefs/.
  • Johnson, M. W. 2020. Consciousness, religion, and gurus: Pitfalls of psychedelic medicine. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science 4 (2):578–81. doi:10.1021/acsptsci.0c00198.
  • Johnson, M.W., and Yaden, D.B. 2020. There‘s no good evidence that psychedelics can change your politics or religion. Last Modified November 5, 2020. Accessed June 28, 2021. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/theres-no-good-evidence-that-psychedelics-can-change-your-politics-or-religion/
  • Letheby, C. 2021. Philosophy of psychedelics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Letheby, C., and J. Mattu. 2022. Philosophy and classic psychedelics: A review of some emerging themes. Journal of Psychedelic Studies 5 (3):166–75. doi:10.1556/2054.2021.00191.
  • McGovern, H. T., P. Leptourgos, B. T. Hutchinson, and P. R. Corlett. 2022. Do psychedelics change beliefs? Psychopharmacology 239 (6):1809–21. doi:10.1007/s00213-022-06153-1.
  • Nadelhoffer, T., J. Shepard, E. Nahmias, C. Sripada, and L. T. Ross. 2014. The free will inventory: Measuring beliefs about agency and responsibility. Consciousness and Cognition 25 (1):27–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2014.01.006.
  • Nayak, S. M. and R. R. Griffiths. 2022. A single belief-changing psychedelic experience is associated with increased attribution of consciousness to living and non-living entities. Frontiers in Psychology 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.852248.
  • Nayak, S. M., H. Jackson, N. D. Sepeda, D. S. Mathai, S. So, A. Yaffe, H. Zaki, T. J. Brasher, M. X. Lowe, D. R. Jolly, et al. 2023. Naturalistic psilocybin use is associated with persisting improvements in mental health and well-being: Results from a prospective, longitudinal survey. Frontiers in Psychiatry 14.
  • Nayak, S. M., M. Singh, D. B. Yaden, and R. R. Griffiths. 2022. Belief changes associated with psychedelic use. Journal of Psychopharmacology 37 (1):80–92. doi:10.1177/02698811221131989.
  • Riekki, T., M. Lindeman, and J. Lipsanen. 2013. Conceptions about the mind-body problem and their relations to afterlife beliefs, paranormal beliefs, religiosity, and ontological confusions. Advances in Cognitive Psychology 9 (3):112. doi:10.5709/acp-0138-5.
  • Schultes, R. E. 1976. Indole alkaloids in plant hallucinogens 1. Planta Medica 29 (4):330–42. doi:10.1055/s-0028-1097672.
  • Smith, W. R., and D. Sisti. 2021. Ethics and ego dissolution: The case of psilocybin. Journal of Medical Ethics 47 (12):807–14. doi:10.1136/medethics-2020-106070.
  • Sweeney, M. M. S. M. Nayak, E. S. Hurwitz, L. N. Mitchell, T. C. Swift, and R. R. Griffiths. 2022. Comparison of psychedelic and near-death or other non-ordinary experiences in changing attitudes about death and dying. Public Library of Science ONE 17 (8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271926
  • Timmermann, C., H. Kettner, C. Letheby, L. Roseman, F. E. Rosas, and R. L. Carhart-Harris. 2021. Psychedelics alter metaphysical beliefs. Scientific Reports 11 (1):22166. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01209-2.
  • Tobacyk, J. J. 2004. A revised paranormal belief scale. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 23 (1):94–98. doi:10.24972/ijts.2004.23.1.94.
  • Waytz, A., K. Gray, N. Epley, and D. M. Wegner. 2010. Causes and consequences of mind perception. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 14 (8):383–88. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2010.05.006.
  • Wegner, D. M., and K. Gray. 2016. The mind club: Who thinks, what feels, and why it matters. New York, NY, Viking.: Penguin.
  • Yaden, D. B., and D. E. Anderson. 2021. The psychology of philosophy: Associating philosophical views with psychological traits in professional philosophers. Philosophical Psychology 34 (5):721–55. doi:10.1080/09515089.2021.1915972.
  • Yaden, D. B., D. Earp, M. Graziosi, D. Friedman-Wheeler, J. B. Luoma, and M. W. Johnson. 2022. Psychedelics and psychotherapy: Cognitive-behavioral approaches as default. Frontiers in Psychology 13:1604. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873279.
  • Yaden, D. B., S. Giorgi, M. L. Kern, A. Adler, L. H. Ungar, M. E. Seligman, and J. C. Eichstaedt. 2021. Beyond beliefs: Multidimensional aspects of religion and spirituality in language. Psychology of Religion and Spiritualit 15 (2):272–80. doi:10.1037/rel0000408.
  • Yaden, D. B., J. Haidt, R. W. Hood, D. R. Vago, and A. B. Newberg. 2017. The varieties of self-transcendent experience. Review of General Psychology 21 (2):143–60. doi:10.1037/gpr0000102.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.